Leading the sale at $9,375 was “Tablet” by Robert Natkin (American, 1930-2010), 1962, oil on canvas, 55 by 41 inches, signed “Robert Natkin” ($6/8,000).
Review by Kiersten Busch
BEACON, N.Y. — Hudson Valley Auctioneers kicked off 2025 with its 42nd Annual New Year’s Day Sale, which offered 437 lots of Asian items, fine art, lighting, furniture, musical instruments, sterling silver and designer jewelry, among many others. “Overall, the sale was very good,” reported Theo de Haas, manager at Hudson Valley. “We had a sell-through rate of 99 percent, with, I think, two items left unsold.”
“We had mostly online bidders, and a decent in-house presence, which was made up of absentee bids and phone lines,” de Haas continued. “There were also about 1,200 or 1,300 bidders on the internet from multiple countries.”
The sale was led by “Tablet,” a signed oil on canvas by abstract painter Robert Natkin, which sold to a collector from Brooklyn for $9,375. Completed in 1962, the painting contained a Poindexter Gallery (New York City) label verso.
“Snowy Owl,” an off-set lithograph by Carroll Sargent Tyson, Jr, from 1920 was the third highest selling lot in the sale. On its reverse, the print contained a marking stating, “Made in Italy, Roberto Hoesch, Copyright Carroll Tyson.” Catalog notes also explained that the lithograph was “one of four lithographs recently uncovered in the attic of the estate of G.W. Perkins in Millbrook, N.Y., they were wrapped in newspapers from 1958.” Adding to that, de Haas shared that “Snowy Owl” was “originally part of a set of 20 lithographs. They were all birds from Maine, near Arcadia. They were fairly rare, and all original lithographs.” Flying past its $300/500 estimate by more than 11 times, the work did “quite well,” according to de Haas, selling to a collector from Massachusetts for $5,625.
“Snowy Owl” by Carroll Sargent Tyson, Jr, (American, 1977-1956), 1920, offset lithograph, 29 by 21¼ inches framed, plate 124, flew to $5,625, more than 11 times its high estimate ($300/500).
Musical instruments on offer were led by a Steinway Model S grand piano, which played to $6,875, the second highest price of the day. Manufactured in 1979, the instrument had a walnut case deemed “in good condition” by catalog notes. “We sell Steinways fairly often, and this one sold to a piano restorer in Pennsylvania,” reported de Haas.
Two lots later, an antique Italian violin sold for $5,313. The instrument was inscribed “Gaetano Pasta Milanese allievo dell Amati di Cremona, alla Pallada in Brescia A. 1760,” which meant that it was made circa 1760 in Brescia, by Gaetano Pasta, a pupil of Amati of Cremona Pallada. However, de Haas explained, “we were told it was a late Eighteenth Century German copy.” Competition was fierce for the instrument, with a bidder from the Middle East prevailing, outbidding a phone bidder from Honolulu who lost connection during the sale.
Furniture was popular with bidders, as they took a French Art Deco vitrine or curio cabinet by Joly & Co., Paris, to $5,313. The cabinet had curved sides fitted with clear glass and an opaque glass domed top. Additionally, it came with its original glass shelves and was set on a wooden base. “This was a very interesting piece,” shared de Haas. “We actually picked it up in Brooklyn and saved it for this particular sale. It’s pretty remarkable, being all glass. It was very tricky to get out of the brownstone where we picked it up; one wrong move and it was over!”
This Philip and Kelvin LaVerne Boucher bronze coffee table was etched and patinated and earned $5,313 against a $3/4,000 estimate.
A Philip and Kelvin LaVerne etched and patinated Boucher coffee table — which was “dropped off here by a private person,” according to de Haas — also went home with a dealer in Los Angeles for the same price: $5,313.
Hudson Valley’s next sale will take place on February 3, and will feature 250 lots of photography and cameras, with a core selection of 80 lots of recently discovered photographs by Alfred Eisenstaedt. Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium, as reported by the auction house. For information, 845-831-6800 or www.hudsonvalleyauctioneers.com.
